Illinois Priest Sentenced for Gambling-Related Theft

A priest from Roselle, Illinois was sentenced to 60 days in jail for taking nearly $300,000 from his church to use at local casinos.

Reverend John Regan is a Catholic priest who served as the pastor for St. Walter Parish. However, parishioners had no idea that he had routed around $295,000 in offerings and contributions into a bank account that he had sole control over. Regan then took the money to riverboat casinos in Elgin and Joliet in order to play blackjack, craps and other games.

DuPage County Judge John Kinsella cited the severity of the theft, calling it “an indescribable level of betrayal” in sentencing Regan to jail time. In addition, Regan will also have to make $295,000 in restitution, perform 500 hours of community service, and serve 150 days in a work-release program. Regan is also prohibited from gambling as part of his four-year probation.

While Regan’s sentence is more severe than he may have hoped for, it is significantly shorter than that sought by prosecutors. They fought for a 10-year jail term, and claimed that the amount stolen may have risen to over $400,000, given another $125,000 Regan had deposited into his personal bank account during that time period. However, Regan contended that those deposits came from casino winnings and other sources (including his own $25,000 salary), not money he stole from the church. The felony theft charge carried a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

According to a parishioner who testified in the trial and spoke to the Courier-News, the sentence seemed satisfactory given the nature of the crime.

“I can live with it,” said Brian Mraz, a 50-year member of St. Walter Parish. “Our parish needs to move on.”

Lawyers for Regan were reportedly satisfied with the sentencing, and reports on the case did not suggest that there were any plans to appeal the ruling.